Originally posted by Elk Hunter:Are these "scabies" the same thing as chiggers"

No, but it's somewhat similar, in that they're both tiny parasitic mites that cause rashes and irritation.

The big difference is that a scabies actually burrow below the skin and infest the host, and are highly contagious since they live in the host and are capable of being passed from person to person. Whereas chiggers just bite the top layer of skin temporarily, like tiny ticks. Chiggers are not contagious, since being bitten requires exposure to chigger larvae out in the wild, and once a chigger drinks its fill it drops off the host and doesn't bite again.